Devo Magix: Vision Questing

13Feb

Alternate title: How to Crack Out

Disclaimer: I have no clue if vision questing is the right term to use. I’m not taking this term from any other culture- it’s something I came up with to try and describe what I do when I literally go out looking for visions. If there is a better term for this sort of thing, please let me know so I can use what is considered “standard” terminology.

As I’m sure many of my readers have heard by now – I have a proverbial IV of crack flowing in my veins. I’ve received visions and weird ass images in my brain for many many years now. Sometimes, these visions just come to me. However, over the years I have learned a thing or two about chasing visions down. I wanted to discuss some methods about how I track down visions, which I lovingly refer to as crack. While I initially used these methods to obtain visions, it is possible to use these methods to access the astral, the gods, or a host of other things. So be aware that it can be a mixed bag of what you could get when you dip your toes into the crack filled lake that is the UnSeen.

Please be advised that these methods will not be suitable for everyone. Please use your discretion when trying these methods and I am not responsible if you hurt yourself from using my ideas.

When I started seeking visions, I found that I needed the right mixture of tired and awake to get anywhere. If you’re too exhausted, you’ll fall asleep. If you’re too awake, you’ll likely be too ADD to actually get anywhere. In my experience, you need to be passively alert to get the best results.

But Devo, how on earth do I do that? That doesn’t sound possible.

Believe it or not, you’ve likely hit this place of passive alertness before and not even realized it. Ever found yourself daydreaming while staring at the wall? That’s a good example of it. How about having a cat nap- where you’re not really asleep, but not really awake? That’s another good example. Often times we hit this state without even realizing it. And that’s part of the trick- realizing you’re in this state without breaking the state. When I first started, I’d often get into a good rhythm, and then go “oh my god! I’m actually doing it!” and promptly lose it because I became too alert and broke the trance I was in. Learning how to get there and stay conscious enough to remember what you see is key.

With the methods listed below, I recommend that you start by letting your brain wander. Just let it go wander off somewhere. The more still you can make your brain, the easier it’ll be for you to retrieve things. However, if you sit there the whole time telling yourself “I must relax. I must relax,” you’ll end up being too tense to actually, you know… relax. So let your mind go where it wants to. The more you practice, the easier it’ll be to let your mind roam. The better your mind is at roaming, the more likely it is to return with a nice batch of crack for you to look at. You can also try asking a deity for assistance when doing this, if that’s your thing.

So, what are some common methods I use to get into this state?

Driving.
Yes, seriously. Driving. This isn’t recommended for everyone, but I find that driving at 70 miles an hour is very zen like and relaxing. I’m just focusing on the road and my brain sorta goes into auto-pilot. I’m alert enough because I’m making sure I’m not going to kill anyone. However, I’m relaxed because the vibrations of the car and the pattern of the dotted line on the road just relax me somehow. Some of my first visions came from this method and I wasn’t even trying to get them.

Puzzles, Coloring/Painting/Drawing, Cleaning/Doing Chores.Once again, all of these are things that keep me slightly mentally active- but are mind numbing enough that I can sometimes hear or see things.

Hiking or Going For a Walk.Many times when I go for walks in quiet places, I will find that my mind starts to wander- and gets lost out in crack-ville. Certain locations and times of the year work better than others. I find that being comfortable while I walk is important if I want to get anywhere. If it’s too sunny, cold, hot, etc. it won’t work.

Listening to Music.Sometimes, I can listen to music and get caught up in the sound and the movement of the music that I retrieve images or visions. Different types of music will give me different results. Quiet, lulling music will likely make me fall asleep. Active music tends to give me more successful results.

Sex.Seriously. Yes. After the fact, I am usually quite relaxed and can sometimes get into a semi-lucid state where I can see stuff.

Dancing.For those who have talked to me about vision questing- this is more or less my “signature method.” Dancing is by far the best method I have found to obtain visions. However, this method is the most physically taxing – to the point that there was a 2 year period where I couldn’t do it because it was too demanding on my body. Generally, my process in regards to dancing is fairly simple: I dance until I can’t dance anymore. Once I can’t dance anymore, I will lay down and wait to see if things come to me. If they do- great. If not, I will attempt to get up and dance some more, basically repeating the process until something comes to me. If I’m really trying to push myself, I will combine the dancing and sexing bits to try and push my limits further. I find that dancing in a dark room works best- as my eyes will have little to focus on, and I’ll be forced to focus on the music and movement. I also find that having my music super loud helps to drown out any mental noise that could distract me (I also have a habit of cranking up my music when driving for the same reasons).

I tried these and it’s not working? What now?

There are a few things I can say when the methods above don’t work:

These aren’t the methods for you- try to find something that works best for you. Active meditation/cracking isn’t for everyone.

Keep trying- it can take multiple attempts (and years for some) to get good at it. Not every attempt will bear fruit. There have been times where I have danced for over an hour and not successfully received anything.

Perhaps this isn’t your skill set. Not everyone is hardwired to receive visions or crack out. There is nothing wrong with this. Where you should draw the line for ‘having tried enough and this isn’t for me’ vs. ‘need to keep trying to develop the skill’ will be different for everyone.

I tried some of the methods above and I think I accidentally stumbled onto the astral. What do I do?

Technically, we all access the astral to some extent every day. We dream in the astral. If you talk to gods, you likely do that astrally to an extent. Some argue that we live in one of the layers of the astral. When it comes to things of this nature, I’ve found that visions usually come of one of two varieties (or a combination of both):

Images that you can’t control- like watching a movie. No amount of will on your part will allow you to influence what you’re seeing. These are visions.

Images that you can control or interact with- just like in your waking life. For this particular tutorial, we will call this accessing the astral.

Sometimes, an experience will start as the first- a movie you’re watching, and will end up as the second- a world or situation you can manipulate or influence.

So what happens when you end up in the second category? That largely depends on what type of situation you find yourself in. Before you being seeking visions, I recommend that you read up on what types of things you could potentially come in contact with- as it is possible to attempt to get the first selection above, but accidentally get stuck with the second (see useful links at the bottom).

If you do happen to stumble into a situation that is more than just watching a movie- your first step is to assess what exactly is going on. Are you around people you know (such as deities) or not? Do they appear friendly? Do they even realize you’re there? If you find that you are not being noticed, or that you can simply observe without conflict- do exactly that. Watch what is going on and stay quiet until you can leave or are excused. However, it is possible to blip onto the astral into a dangerous situation.

If you find yourself in a dangerous situation you have a few options:

You can cut bait and leave right then and there. Pull yourself out of the meditation/trance/etc. Ground yourself. Possibly cleanse and ward yourself up for safety (I usually do this by eating something and taking a shower). The downside to this is that you could potentially leave a part of you in that area of the astral that may or may not have it’s ass handed to it now and/or stolen (this is not common, but can happen).

Or you can fight. Fighting ability will depend highly on the realm you are in. In many cases, the sky is the limit. Anything you can think up- you can do. Don’t be scared to push the limits of logic to come up with a means to kick butt. In many cases, you can create and manifest weaponry and magix out of thin air to get the job done. With any luck, the person/entity picking on you will realize you are not worth their time and leave. At which point you can come out of the vision/trance that you are in and follow up with grounding and cleansing as mentioned above, if you feel you need it.

If you stumble into the astral once, be aware that it can happen again. If you manage to get there once, I would recommend learning more about protective measures on the astral before attempting to crack out again- just in case.

On the by and large, vision questing can be a very interesting and useful practice. It’s a good means to get insight to situations, ideas for stories or art projects, and its a good way to communicate with the gods/spirits around us. Even before I began interacting with the astral, I loved to look for visions- just for the aesthetics alone. If you do try any of the methods above, let me know how they work for you!

6 responses to “Devo Magix: Vision Questing”

I do this a lot. I generally refer to it as Journeying or Journeywork. I used to spend 15 minutes every day mentally reciting a mantra until I learned what that in between state felt like. Most of the time nothing happened. Sometimes things did happen. Later I skipped the mantra part because I was able to access the state at will. The other methods you mentioned are good ones. There are many ways to get there. I love dancing too! :)

Walking is a big one for me. Just a couple of weeks ago, I unintentionally slipped into a trance (as I tend to refer to it) as I was walking home from work. Another method I like is singing; it works up a lot of energy, and can be as soothing or energizing as I need it to be to achieve the desired state.

Great article! Even though I’m a Hellenic, I have growing interest in all things Egyptian. Who knows? I might wind up being a Greco-Egyptian polytheist one day like the practioners of goêteia in Hellenistic times.

I find myself in the ‘passively alert’ state that you describe for the majority of my waking hours, like My body is there, and I can move and do things (to an extent) but my head is just somewhere else. Sometimes it’s because I’m absolutely knackered, but sometimes it isn’t, and I have no idea why I’m like that and can’t seem to snap out of it. Heck, as I read this post I found myself slipping into it. Also, the way you described being in the astral sounds a lot like my daydreams, except I’m still aware of my body at the same time. To the best of my knowledge, I haven’t actually been to the astral, but is it possible I’ve been there without knowing?
(Sorry if this doesn’t make a lot of sense or is jumbled, I’m having trouble doing the word thing)

Sounds like it could be. The area btwn astral and day dreaming is very very grey. And its often possible that one can lead into the other. Most people I know who do the whole astral travel thing have issues with focusing and all of that. So it could be possible. When I travel, I’m fully aware of my body. I often travel while being completely present in this realm, too.